Vehicle doors include an exterior handle assembly for opening and closing the door. The handle assembly may be designed to extend outboard of an exterior panel surface of the door to allow an operator to grasp the handle assembly. Alternatively, the exterior panel surface of the door may define an inward recess to allow the operator to grasp the handle assembly. Furthermore, vehicle styling may require that an outboard surface of the handle assembly be positioned approximately flush with the exterior panel surface of the door when not in use. When needed to open the door, the flush mounted handle assembly may deploy out through a swing or pivot motion relative to the exterior panel surface of the door, or may alternatively deploy out in a normal direction relative to the exterior panel surface of the door, thereby allowing the operator to grasp the handle assembly.